Missouri Floral Emblem

Hawthorn Blossom

Crataegus spp.

Adopted:1923

Missouri State Floral Emblem: Hawthorn Blossom

Adoption of the Missouri Floral Emblem

By an act of the Fifty-second General Assembly convened at Jefferson, signed by Governor Arthur Mastick Hyde on March 16, 1923, the blossom of the hawthorn was adopted as the official floral emblem of the State of Missouri.

Though a specific variety of hawthorn is not named in the legislation, the Missouri Department of
Conservation asserts that the downy hawthorn (Crataegus mollis) is the species deserving of the recognition.

The Missouri Revised Statutes

The following information is excerpted from the Missouri Revised Statutes, Title 2,
Chapter 10, Section 10.030.

10.030. The hawthorn, the blossom of the tree commonly called the "red haw" or "wild haw" and scientifically designated as crataegus, is declared to be the floral emblem of Missouri, and the state department of agriculture shall recognize it as such and encourage its cultivation on account of the beauty of its flower, fruit and foliage.

State Birds & Flowers 1000-pc Puzzle:
Created at the request of The National Wildlife Federation this design is a beautiful and informative puzzle featuring every state bird perched on the appropriate state flower.

State Birds and Flowers Coloring Book
by Annika Bernhard - 51 accurately detailed, copyright-free renderings include national bird (eagle) and flower (rose) plus 50 state birds and flowers.

State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers and Other Symbols:
A Study based on historical documents giving the origin and significance of the state names, nicknames, mottoes, seals,
flowers, birds, songs, and descriptive comments on the capitol buildings and on some of the leading state histories,
Revised Edition - George Earlie Shankle, Ph.D., The H.W. Wilson Company, 1938 (Reprint Services Corp. 1971)